This book, an ethnography of pregnancy and birth at a large New York City public hospital, explores the role of race in the medical setting. The book investigates how race—commonly seen as biological ...
More

This book, an ethnography of pregnancy and birth at a large New York City public hospital, explores the role of race in the medical setting. The book investigates how race—commonly seen as biological in the medical world—is socially constructed among women dependent on the public healthcare system for prenatal care and childbirth. It argues that race carries powerful material consequences for these women even when it is not explicitly named, showing how they are marginalized by the practices and assumptions of the clinic staff. Deftly weaving ethnographic evidence into broader discussions of Medicaid and racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality, the book shines new light on the politics of healthcare for the poor, demonstrating how the “medicalization” of social problems reproduces racial stereotypes and governs the bodies of poor women of color.Less

Reproducing Race : An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization

Khiara Bridges

Published in print: 2011-03-18

This book, an ethnography of pregnancy and birth at a large New York City public hospital, explores the role of race in the medical setting. The book investigates how race—commonly seen as biological in the medical world—is socially constructed among women dependent on the public healthcare system for prenatal care and childbirth. It argues that race carries powerful material consequences for these women even when it is not explicitly named, showing how they are marginalized by the practices and assumptions of the clinic staff. Deftly weaving ethnographic evidence into broader discussions of Medicaid and racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality, the book shines new light on the politics of healthcare for the poor, demonstrating how the “medicalization” of social problems reproduces racial stereotypes and governs the bodies of poor women of color.

This chapter examines how and why black second wavers differ from the black pioneers by focusing on the narrative of Billy Gordon, a nineteen-year-old who moved to Parkmont as part of the second ...
More

This chapter examines how and why black second wavers differ from the black pioneers by focusing on the narrative of Billy Gordon, a nineteen-year-old who moved to Parkmont as part of the second wave. Billy represents the group whom the pioneers blame for lowering Parkmont's status and degrading its quality of life. His troubled life epitomizes the social world from which many pioneers believed they were distancing themselves when they moved to Parkmont. Billy explains the difficult journey to Parkmont that many second wave teens have faced, including conflict with peers, involvement in crime, neighborhood and school adjustment problems, family crises, and struggles with letting go of attachments to old neighborhoods and friends. This chapter reveals the social problems and cultural values that families like Billy's carry with them when they arrive in Parkmont.Less

Billy’s Narrative : Clashing in Parkmont

Rachael A. Woldoff

Published in print: 2011-03-17

This chapter examines how and why black second wavers differ from the black pioneers by focusing on the narrative of Billy Gordon, a nineteen-year-old who moved to Parkmont as part of the second wave. Billy represents the group whom the pioneers blame for lowering Parkmont's status and degrading its quality of life. His troubled life epitomizes the social world from which many pioneers believed they were distancing themselves when they moved to Parkmont. Billy explains the difficult journey to Parkmont that many second wave teens have faced, including conflict with peers, involvement in crime, neighborhood and school adjustment problems, family crises, and struggles with letting go of attachments to old neighborhoods and friends. This chapter reveals the social problems and cultural values that families like Billy's carry with them when they arrive in Parkmont.

In this chapter, Harry Haywood talks about his determination to see the elimination of racism and the achievement of complete equality for Blacks, as well as his personal commitment to the fight for ...
More

In this chapter, Harry Haywood talks about his determination to see the elimination of racism and the achievement of complete equality for Blacks, as well as his personal commitment to the fight for a socialist United States. The bloody Chicago race riot that erupted on July 28, 1919 was a pivotal point in Haywood’s life. In the early 1920s, Chicago was an ideal place and time for the education of a Black radical. It would become the scene of some of the nation’s bloodiest battles in the struggle between labor and capital. Blacks, however, played little or no role in the turbulent early history of the Chicago labor movement. Haywood and his fellow Blacks searched for answers to the social problems of the day. Many found the answer in the Back to Africa program of the West Indian Marcus Garvey and his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).Less

Searching for Answers

Harry HaywoodGwendolyn Midlo Hall

Published in print: 2012-03-01

In this chapter, Harry Haywood talks about his determination to see the elimination of racism and the achievement of complete equality for Blacks, as well as his personal commitment to the fight for a socialist United States. The bloody Chicago race riot that erupted on July 28, 1919 was a pivotal point in Haywood’s life. In the early 1920s, Chicago was an ideal place and time for the education of a Black radical. It would become the scene of some of the nation’s bloodiest battles in the struggle between labor and capital. Blacks, however, played little or no role in the turbulent early history of the Chicago labor movement. Haywood and his fellow Blacks searched for answers to the social problems of the day. Many found the answer in the Back to Africa program of the West Indian Marcus Garvey and his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).